Consequences of water reform and changing farm adaptation in the Basin. This project aims to evaluate the consequences of, and lessons learned from, the past two decades of water reform in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). In particular, it will examine the recent economic and farm consequences of water recovery. Australia is over halfway through implementation of the MDB Plan, and has spent over $6 billion in water recovery to achieve basin-wide resilience, with billions more still committed. Pro ....Consequences of water reform and changing farm adaptation in the Basin. This project aims to evaluate the consequences of, and lessons learned from, the past two decades of water reform in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). In particular, it will examine the recent economic and farm consequences of water recovery. Australia is over halfway through implementation of the MDB Plan, and has spent over $6 billion in water recovery to achieve basin-wide resilience, with billions more still committed. Project expected outcomes include pioneering new methods to track how MDB irrigation efficiency, productivity and other farm outcomes have changed as a response to water reform. It will also draw lessons from both national and international case studies to consequently inform more effective water management.Read moreRead less
The economics of happiness, public policy, and national success indicators. The project will provide a sound analysis of happiness, taking account of traditional welfare economics and recent advances in happiness studies, including making the analysis more relevant for policy formulation, making happiness measures more comparable interpersonally, intertemporally, and interculturally. A new and more appropriate national success indicator will be devised that takes positive account of some appropr ....The economics of happiness, public policy, and national success indicators. The project will provide a sound analysis of happiness, taking account of traditional welfare economics and recent advances in happiness studies, including making the analysis more relevant for policy formulation, making happiness measures more comparable interpersonally, intertemporally, and interculturally. A new and more appropriate national success indicator will be devised that takes positive account of some appropriate measure of happiness (adjusted happy life-years) and negative account of some measure of per capita external costs. This will encourage people, organizations, and governments to focus on factors that have a more direct bearing on people's happiness.Read moreRead less
Private Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Distribution, and Social Welfare Reform in Urban China. During the 1990s, when the Chinese urban labour market and social security reforms accelerated, average urban household wealth increased more than three fold and the distribution of wealth widened. We will document this significant change and examine its relationship to past and future social welfare reform. This project will:
· Be the first study of wealth accumulation and distribution in China over th ....Private Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Distribution, and Social Welfare Reform in Urban China. During the 1990s, when the Chinese urban labour market and social security reforms accelerated, average urban household wealth increased more than three fold and the distribution of wealth widened. We will document this significant change and examine its relationship to past and future social welfare reform. This project will:
· Be the first study of wealth accumulation and distribution in China over the 1990s.
· Add to our knowledge of the interrelationship between wealth accumulation, distribution and political power during economic transition.
· Contribute to a better design of a new social welfare system.
· Develop lessons and policy implications that will be broadly applicable to most transitional and developing economies.
The project will produce at least seven journal articles and one book.
Read moreRead less
The future of work and the economic well-being of women in the Australian labour market, 1981 to 2001. Australia is in the midst of fundamental political, economic and social change leading some in the community to question the benefits of micro-economic reform. Others question the future of work; labour market projections for 2015 show more women than men in employment, raising the spectre of further social and economic change. This project aims to shed some light on the debate over the future ....The future of work and the economic well-being of women in the Australian labour market, 1981 to 2001. Australia is in the midst of fundamental political, economic and social change leading some in the community to question the benefits of micro-economic reform. Others question the future of work; labour market projections for 2015 show more women than men in employment, raising the spectre of further social and economic change. This project aims to shed some light on the debate over the future of work and inform labour market policy for the 'new economy'. Our capacity to understand the future requires knowledge of previous developments, trends, turning points etc. Using data from 1981-2001 the study will examine key dimensions of labour market change, particularly as it affects women. The research should lead to several publications and a manuscript for a book.Read moreRead less
Conceptualizing and Measuring Regional Endogenous Growth: A Collaborative International Comparative Investigation. Policy for regional economic development in Australia is placing more emphasis on facilitating regional self-help. For the first time this project will provide an actual measure of regional endogenous performance. It identifies those features of regional economies and local populations are most important in explaining differences in the performance of regions, and it shows how inst ....Conceptualizing and Measuring Regional Endogenous Growth: A Collaborative International Comparative Investigation. Policy for regional economic development in Australia is placing more emphasis on facilitating regional self-help. For the first time this project will provide an actual measure of regional endogenous performance. It identifies those features of regional economies and local populations are most important in explaining differences in the performance of regions, and it shows how institutional arrangements and leadership can enhance or detract from regional development performance. This will help public agencies formulate better policies and mechanisms to help regions maximise their capacities to achieve enhanced endogenous growth. International comparative studies provide wider significance for policy formulation in regional development.Read moreRead less
Relative income, social preferences, and charitable giving: An experimental analysis. Understanding people's incentives to give to others (i.e., what motivates private donations) is important in regulating social interactions, achieving fair outcomes, and designing optimal responses to natural disasters like floods and bushfires. Australia's social and economic fabric is strengthened by good public polices relating to redistribution and taxation. The cross-cultural aspect of our study will incre ....Relative income, social preferences, and charitable giving: An experimental analysis. Understanding people's incentives to give to others (i.e., what motivates private donations) is important in regulating social interactions, achieving fair outcomes, and designing optimal responses to natural disasters like floods and bushfires. Australia's social and economic fabric is strengthened by good public polices relating to redistribution and taxation. The cross-cultural aspect of our study will increase awareness about differing beliefs across countries about the determinants of income and how policy makers can use this information to design appropriate policies to help people in need. This research project will also increase the level of academic interactions between Australian and foreign universities.Read moreRead less
The Economics of Corruption and Institutional Change: Theory and Experiments. The economic and social wellbeing of its neighbours is important for Australia. It results in a more prosperous and safe region. Australia's interest in the wellbeing of its neighbours is often expressed through financial aid and the sharing of expertise. This research will contribute to this expertise by investigating the ways in which changes in political and legal institutions can help reduce corruption and result i ....The Economics of Corruption and Institutional Change: Theory and Experiments. The economic and social wellbeing of its neighbours is important for Australia. It results in a more prosperous and safe region. Australia's interest in the wellbeing of its neighbours is often expressed through financial aid and the sharing of expertise. This research will contribute to this expertise by investigating the ways in which changes in political and legal institutions can help reduce corruption and result in economic development. Moreover, the cross-country nature of this research project will help increase the level of academic interactions between Australian and foreign universities.Read moreRead less
Field experiments motivated by behavioural economics to understand prosocial behaviour and improve blood supply. Blood and plasma shortages are common in most countries; for example, in 2005 Australia imported nearly 30% of the plasma it used. This project will develop and test in the field several policies to improve Australia's blood supply. The policies will build on robust behaviours observed in economic experiments, but that have generally not been tested outside the lab. The policies inclu ....Field experiments motivated by behavioural economics to understand prosocial behaviour and improve blood supply. Blood and plasma shortages are common in most countries; for example, in 2005 Australia imported nearly 30% of the plasma it used. This project will develop and test in the field several policies to improve Australia's blood supply. The policies will build on robust behaviours observed in economic experiments, but that have generally not been tested outside the lab. The policies include non-binding commitments, giving gifts and narrowing the perceived distance between blood donors and recipients. This project offers Australia many potential benefits including greater economic efficiency to supply blood and plasma, fewer shortages, and consequently improved health services, and greater recognition as a pioneer in blood donor supply methods.Read moreRead less
From Periphery to Central: the Politics of China's Central Banking Reform and the Building of a Financial Infrastructure in an Age of Transition. China's rapid economic growth and gradual integration with the international system, in particular the increasingly strong economic links between Australia and China, means Australia now has a big stake in China's financial and economic stability. By explaining the dynamics of China's central banking reform, monetary policy and banking reform since 197 ....From Periphery to Central: the Politics of China's Central Banking Reform and the Building of a Financial Infrastructure in an Age of Transition. China's rapid economic growth and gradual integration with the international system, in particular the increasingly strong economic links between Australia and China, means Australia now has a big stake in China's financial and economic stability. By explaining the dynamics of China's central banking reform, monetary policy and banking reform since 1979, this project will significantly enhance our capacity to interpret monetary policy management and financial development in China, to support our commitment to states in the Asia Pacific region that are dealing with economic reforms and transition, and more importantly, to exert influence on the desired direction of change in China through engagement with the Chinese monetary authority.Read moreRead less
Dynamic vulnerability of urban road networks. Road transport networks are vital to the economic and social health of our society. Poorly performing networks lead to significant costs and adverse environmental and health impacts. This project will develop methods and tools to predict the effects of network failure through incident-related congestion at bottlenecks (e.g. congestion from accidents, vehicle breakdowns, road works, lane blockages and road closures) and to suggest remedial action plan ....Dynamic vulnerability of urban road networks. Road transport networks are vital to the economic and social health of our society. Poorly performing networks lead to significant costs and adverse environmental and health impacts. This project will develop methods and tools to predict the effects of network failure through incident-related congestion at bottlenecks (e.g. congestion from accidents, vehicle breakdowns, road works, lane blockages and road closures) and to suggest remedial action plans in the case of bottleneck formation. Incident related congestion is responsible for more than 50% of the ($9.4B p.a.) cost of congestion in Australia's major cities.Read moreRead less